Microsoft is planning to employ 1,000 more workers in China this year in an effort to reach the full potential of that market.

Microsoft already has 4,500 employees in China, but will add another 1,000 throughout 2012 for research and development (R&D), services, marketing and sales. About 600 people will be employed in the new cloud computing center in Shanghai as well.

This move is likely a result of recent troubles Microsoft has had with China. In January, the tech giant sued Gome Electrical Appliances Holding for installing pirated versions of its software on computers. Piracy is a common issue in China, and aside from that, Microsoft also wants to appeal to public institutions and local governments to address regulation problems in the country.

The ultimate goal is to increase China research and development spending by 15 percent throughout late 2012/early 2013. Microsoft currently spends $500 million per year on the area.

With Windows 8's release just around the corner, Microsoft is likely looking to boost sales of its new operating system in more markets -- and prevent piracy. China is also a market that the iPad has been successful with, and Microsoft probably wants to see the same with its mobile devices, like the Surface tablet, as well. Microsoft needs to play a bit of "catch up," since it didn't test the Chinese smartphone market until just this year -- far behind others like Apple and Android.